


Cast My Fate

by Paved-With-Good-Intentions (Emzo)



Series: dbh rarepairs week 2019 [4]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canonical Character Death, Deviates From Canon, Gay Disaster Gavin Reed, Idiots in Love, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Red String of Fate, Swearing, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-27 17:09:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20763938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emzo/pseuds/Paved-With-Good-Intentions
Summary: The string that ties Gavin to his soulmate has always been broken. For as long as he can remember it's been a sad grey whisp of a thing. He's never understood what specifically was wrong with him, or why he didn't have a soulmate. He had accepted it and given up hope, but then things start to change.DBH Rare Pairs Week Prompt: Red String of Fate





	Cast My Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all,  
This story will follow the events of the game from Gavin's POV. I will stay close to the events in the game, but there will be divergence and added dialogue. I will update the tags as I go. 
> 
> Ive had some trouble with the wording in this first chapter but it should be smoother from here on out as more is actually happening, and there are character interactions.

Gavin always knew something was different about his soulmate, but he never would have expected… this.

==================================

For most of Gavin's life, the metaphysical string tied to his ring finger was just a sad grey wisp. Only two feet long; It was a pale, translucent mockery of the brilliant red thread that was supposed to connect his soul to another’s. All his life It trailed behind him, fluttering in the air as he walked. It would hang limply towards the ground when he stood still. It was wrong, broken, and it had been as long as he could remember. He could always feel that there was something missing, and It left him with a constant, dull, bone-deep ache. His soul knew it was meant to be part of a set, and it mourned the loss of a partner, it never even had. 

As soon as he was old enough to comprehend that there was something wrong with his string, he told his parents. They assured him that the lucky guy just hadn't been born yet. He was still young at the time, so he accepted their explanation and took comfort in the hope it gave. He wasn’t actually interested in anyone at that point. He was just excited by the thought of having a soulmate. Then as he got older, the thought of a soulmate being born to him became more and more uncomfortable. When he hit his teens, he went from waiting for them to exist to praying they wouldn’t. It seemed wrong to have a soulmate with that much of an age gap.

When people spoke about their string, they always mentioned that they could get tastes of the emotions their mate was experiencing. His parents were soul mates. Growing up they told him dozens of stories about what they felt from each other before they met. They told him about how sometimes, they would give the string a little tug just to say “hello,” and if they felt the trickle of some strong emotion, they would tug it to say, “I'm here for you.” As he grew up, his parents talked less and less about finding each other. They knew that he was upset about his string, and hearing their stories only made him more troubled. By the time he was old enough to appreciate their love stories without them wounding him, it didn't matter anymore. His parents were gone, and he was alone.

================================== 

Eventually, it became evident that there was something very, very wrong with his bond. In his teens, He asked around online to find someone with a similar problem. To his surprise, he actually found a few people who either had the same or a similar problem. Unfortunately, most of the people he talked to were just as confused as he was, and the ones who weren’t only had pain-filled stories of loss to share. In the end, he figured out a few theories as to what was wrong with his string. None of them were particularly encouraging.

**_One: It was rare but possible that later in life he would be tied to an infant he was meant to care for._ **

That one sounded like a raw fucking deal to him. When he was in his twenties and still hopeful, he thought he wanted the whole raising kids thing. Now that he was older he wasn't so sure anymore, especially since he didn't have anyone to raise them with. So to be stuck raising one because he was tied to it, on top of not getting a romantic soul mate, sounded pretty shitty to him.

**_Two: His soulmate died when he was still too young to notice, or they were never born because they died “in utero” or whatever._ **

**_Three: His soulmate was older than him but died before he was born. So when he was born, his string couldn't fully form since there was no one to attach to._ **

**_Four: He just didn't fucking have one. No one was a match for his kind of fucked-up, which honestly wouldn't surprise him._ **

Regardless of which was the correct answer, it didn't matter in the end because it came down to him either not having a soulmate or getting stuck with a brat; the first seemed more reasonable. He was the last fucking person someone would want to put in charge of a kid, whether or not he was soul bound to it or whatnot. He was not a pleasant person to be around, and his large pool of friends was a testament to that. All fucking two of them.

Now he's getting further from 30, closer to 40, and he's given up on finding his mate. When people ask, he tells them that his mate died when he was a kid. They leave him alone about it after that. He's moved past wanting and hoping, and just accepted that he would feel this emptiness forever. He threw himself into work instead and he's a damn good detective because of it. 

Sure, he's dated, but it's never been anything serious. He's had a few long term relationships that he never felt he was fully committed to, and a lot of one night stands. There are places and groups specifically for meeting people who are mateless, but he doesn't expect to ever find the right person. It never works, they always just get tired of his shit eventually.

So, he's given up and grown complacent. All he has these days is the occasional hookup. His last relationship was two years ago now, and boy did that one blow up in his face. It was the only one he had seen working out long term, the only relationship he had had where he could see himself spending his life with the guy. They were talking about moving in together and it was all going great. Then shit started getting weird. His boyfriend started constantly critiquing him, making him feel like shit, and it turned out that they had different ideas of the word exclusive. So yeah, no more, he's done with relationships, and he's done with hope.

==================================

The universe, however, apparently had a different plan for him. One day, he wakes up feeling… odd. He's actually feeling really good, but he chalks it up to a damn good night's sleep. It isn't until he's made it to his kitchen and goes to pour coffee that he realizes what the difference is. **His string.** It's actually a string now. It's not vibrant or solid, but it's not a sad trailing wisp anymore either. Now it's a faint red translucent tie around his ring finger. He follows its path with his eyes. It trails down to the ground and stretches across his floor before vanishing through the external wall of his apartment. 

He doesn't remember collapsing to the ground but he must have because he's there now; his knees curled up to his chest. His hands are clasping and gathering the damn string to him and he's sobbing. He's sobbing because he has a soulmate, and the pain in his heart is gone. He can feel **Them.** Where the void used to be, he can feel his soulmate instead. It's faint and distant, but there is a hum of life there. He can feel it, he isn't alone.

==================================

He doesn't understand what's happening; the empty space in his core doesn't come back, but the feeling of connection... it seems to come and go. He tries tracking down some of the people he talked to online when he was a kid, but most of the forums don't even exist anymore. Instead, he searches for new people with similar experiences. Once again there are others like him out there- people who had no one, until one day the connection was just… there. However, where his strand is translucent and thin, their connections came in full force with a bang. One minute these people didn’t have soulmates, the next they did. 

He doesn’t understand why he is different. He doesn’t know why his connection is there but not substantial. He wonders, **'Is it still forming? Still in the process of bonding?' **But he just doesn’t fucking know.

The tie stays a translucent red, and Gavin grows complacent again. He settles back into his life, focusing on work. Knowing someone is on the other end of that line is an enormous comfort. He savors the feeling of having someone out there, and he has no fucking clue how, but he can tell they are an adult person (not a baby). They are **his** person. They belong to him as much as he has always belonged to them. They hold the part of him that has always been missing, and a matching piece of them is filling that formerly empty space.

A few weeks after the incident in his kitchen, It happens. He is going about his day, writing some stupid ass report on some thugs who got high and tried to tip some guy's car. Fucking idiots didn't even run when the cops showed up. You would think someone else could handle the report but apparently, he was stuck with it. So he's at the station, it's getting late but he decides to refill his coffee anyway. There Is something playing on the TV about some big hostage situation, and he pauses to watch while his coffee brews. Which is when it happens- out of fucking nowhere it feels like he gets punched in the chest with a ball of energy and it knocks him on his ass. He's on the ground in the breakroom trying to catch his breath, and some random uni is asking him if he's ok, but he has no fucking clue. Then he sees his string and an almost gleeful choked laugh escapes his throat. He brushes the officer off and hurries to an unoccupied observation room for some privacy. 

He leans against the wall, and he's fucking crying again. His string has gone solid and silky, it's bright blood red, and it's such a fucking beautiful sight. He leans there, getting his shit together and playing with that string. The space that only a month before was empty and painful is now **warm**. He can feel his soulmate, not the faint hum of life from the past few weeks, but a bright warm life he feels his own being bound to. He can't believe everyone else has just walked around feeling this way their entire lives. They don't even fucking understand what it is like to not have this. They don’t appreciate it. People all over the world just going about their day; shrugging off the fact that there is a living person bound to their soul. He hasn’t had that, but now he does and it’s fucking glorious.

He hasn't felt any emotions through the bond yet, but it doesn't matter. Just feeling his soulmate there on the other end of that string is enough. He's grinning at it and playing with it; still crying like an idiot. He wonders if the person on the other end feels it moving or if the distance is too great for that. He remembers what his parents said all those years ago about giving each other tugs to say hello. Well, he figures he should probably introduce himself before forcing his mind back on work. He coils the string up into his hands, picking up the slack until he can feel a slight tension. There isn't very much, and he wonders if that means his mate is relatively close. The thought makes him even happier. He's damn giddy at this point. He has a soulmate, and they are nearby. 

He gives the line three succinct tugs. Then feels a small trickle of emotion through the bond, surprise, confusion, and maybe possible annoyance. He finds himself snorting at that, they are going to have to get fucking used to that last feeling if they are stuck with him as a soulmate. His hands come up to cover his mouth when his snorts turn into happy sobs at the three tentative tugs he gets in return. He knows he's completely lost it when he starts wondering if they would respond to shave and a haircut.

He fiddles with his string, calming his breathing and smiling while he imagines who could be on the other end. Hmmm, maybe clean-shaven with shaggy blond hair and light eyes. Yeah, that would be cute. He doesn’t actually care what they look like. Yeah, cute would be nice, but shit, feeling this connection they could be one of those people completely covered in hair and he wouldn’t care. They are his either way. 

Once he's gotten his shit together again he wipes his eyes on his sleeves and gives the string one more tug before he heads back to his desk. He doesn't get another tug in response, but the trickle of annoyance is answer enough for him. He's smiling stupidly for the next 20 minutes or so, earning him weird looks from everyone in the office. They are probably wondering who he beat the shit out of to look so gleeful.

Then shit gets real. He starts feeling waves of unidentifiable emotion through the bond, and the others around the office are murmuring about the situation going down on the TV. Apparently, they are streaming live footage from the swat team. There are a few officers down, one confirmed police casualty, and now they are sending in some sort of negotiator to handle things. Gavin's attention is divided between the hostage thing and the odd emotions coming through the bond, but he decides to go over and watch what's going on. 

From the bond he feels a weird sort of concentration, he guesses, but it's not a feeling he's experienced so he doesn't know exactly how to name it. The screen is playing live helicopter footage of some crazy fucking android holding a little girl at gunpoint on the edge of a roof. Well, it turns out that the negotiator they sent in is another fucking android, despite the out of focus video, the blue band on its arm is unmistakable. The thing walks out on the roof and immediately takes a bullet in the arm, sending a spray of blue behind him. At the same time, through the bond, Gavin feels a rush of discomfort and irritation. The androids are talking to each other, but their voices aren't audible from the video. The “negotiator” one is moving towards someone sprawled out on the roof. It's got to be one of the officers who got shot. 

The androids are talking again. Then the negotiator tries to check on the cop and the crazy one fucking shoots at him. A trickle of frustration comes through the bond, and then determination at the same time the android on the screen does something to the officer on the ground. 

** _ ‘Ok, this is getting fucking weird,’ _ **he thinks. Gavin feels like he's starting to get pieces to a puzzle he isn't ready to solve yet. He moves over to one of the stools set up in the break room because he has a bad feeling he should sit down. He takes a seat and places his arms on the table before looking back up at the screen. All the while, that feeling of determination coming through the bond.

The androids are talking again, the negotiator is closer to the crazy one now (still holding a fucking kid dangling in its arms). The negotiator looks up towards the helicopter, the camera getting a blurry view of his face, and then it's waving the helicopter off and they are left blind for a moment. The footage reappears, this time broadcasting from a body cam on the roof next door; a sniper team. Everything looks like it's actually going ok, the crazy bot seems to be calming down and lowering its gun. 

Until suddenly it isn't anymore. The crazy one is acting even more agitated, waving the gun around. Gavin watches as it starts going over the roof taking the kid with it. He feels a swell of anger and resolve through the bond, and the negotiator android is running straight for the kid. It happens too fast to track, but then the kid is safe on the ground and both of the androids have gone over the edge. Gavin turns away from the screen bracing himself against the table. He can feel what seems to be pride and satisfaction through the link, but then it's completely overshadowed by resignation. 

Gavin isn't consciously putting the connections together yet, but he's breathing rapidly and dread is pooling in his gut. Then there's a horrible rending sensation all throughout his body making him gasp out in pain. Then- the warm intense hum of life he had only gotten to enjoy for 30 minutes- is gone. He slumps forward on the table gasping for air, his stomach roiling at the loss. His string has turned back to the faded transparent red.

  


**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think, or even yell at me if you want. 
> 
> You can also find me on tumblr via the links below.
> 
> [DBH Shitpost Account](https://road-paved-with-dbh-shitposts.tumblr.com)  
[Personal Shitpost Account](https://paved-with-personal-shitpost.tumblr.com)


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